Parenthood
by Sheba the Lone Wolf
Summary: Rairakku is pregnant. Tsume is a father. How will he react to his mate's pregnancy and the birth of his first son? Tsume/OC. One-shot. Fluff.


**Disclaimer: Sheba the Lone Wolf does not own Wolf's Rain. However, she does own Rairakku. **

**Pairings: Tsume/OC. **

**Parenthood**

_Tsume's P.O.V. _

Why would a lone wolf ever concern himself with parenthood? I was used to be alone; I had never given love, much less having pups, much thought. When I had met Rairakku, I had thought of her as nothing more than a half-breed, whom had lived her entire life as a pet with no knowledge that she was part wolf. I had awakened the wolf's blood in her and, apparently, that made me responsible for the trouble magnet. Her ill master died and, with the wolf's blood flowing through her veins awake, she was driven to paradise.

Rairakku had convinced me to go with her, in search of "paradise", which I believed could never exist in a world that was crumbling before our eyes. But, as our journey unfolded, I began to believe in paradise as strongly as Rairakku did. And, with that belief, came a love for Rairakku.

Rairakku was right. Paradise _was _real. We hadn't found the unspoiled landscapes lit by lunar flowers and silver moonlight. But, we had found our own paradise. The mountainside, where we resided, was not perfect, but it was more than I could have ever asked for, on the condition that Rairakku was there with me. I needed Rairakku; I had reached the point that I could not survive without her. Beforehand, I would have said that love was pointless, but, now, I understood.

Rairakku was my mate. She owned me, and I owned her. We belonged to one another, and nothing would ever come between us. Even if she died before me, or if I died before her, we would never love again. We were tied together with a promise: we would start a family. It was her dream; I wanted nothing more than to be the one to fulfill it with her. But, even so, I could not hide my surprise when she told me her news.

_Rairakku was pregnant. _

She was silent; I remained in a state of sudden surprise for a few minutes. The shock faded; I didn't realize I was smiling. I didn't realize that a tear of the purest happiness had trickled down my left cheek. And she, too, was smiling. Her arms enfolded me in a warm embrace and, with caution, I wrapped my arms around her waist.

Three months passed. I had watched Rairakku's stomach swell with time. I had found a small cavern for our den; she spent weeks lining it with countless layers of leaves, moss, and long, narrow blades of grass. While she prepared our den, making it perfect for the day when our pups would arrive, I had spent long hours hunting, bringing her elk meat, storing the remaining portions in underground caches near the cavern.

Two more months passed; there was only one more to go. Rairakku would often feel anxious. I refused to leave her side, unless I had to find more food. I wanted to help with her anxiety; we went on walks together in the forest, I taught her how to listen for small prey animals in the tall grasses of fields.

But, when the final month of Rairakku's pregnancy closed in on us, she refused to leave the den. I, too, wouldn't leave; I had to be there at all times. We ate the cold elk meat from the food caches and drank from puddles of rainwater. The month seemed to be going by at a snail's pace; we entertained one another with stories of our past, both of the months we spent together and the ones in which we had never met.

"Tsume."

It was late. My eyes drifted open; I became aware that Rairakku was curled securely against me, shivering, panting. I was wide-awake now; I was aware of what was happening. Beforehand, I had promised myself that I wouldn't feel frightened. It was something I couldn't have prevented; I didn't know how to help Rairakku and, to make matters worse, she was panicking. She had never given birth to a pup before; she didn't understand what to do.

The next two hours were long. Childbirth was, apparently, much easier in the form of a wolf. And, suddenly, it was over. Rairakku laid on her stomach, her sides heaving with each breath, and licked the pup clean. The pup was male. His chest, muzzle, throat, underbelly, legs, and underneath his tail were white, but a majority of his coat was silver. One glance was all it took and you would realize that he was my son.

The pup squealed; he couldn't whimper yet. I trotted to lie beside of Rairakku; her head fell limply to my forelegs. The pup was nursing in silence.

I made a mistake. I took a moment to blink and, when I opened my eyes, my son was grown. It had happened so fast that, at first, I thought I had missed it. I would never forget the day, when he peered into the den and announced that he was dispersing; he wanted to start his own family. And, in an instant, he was gone.

Rairakku broke into tears; she would have done anything to get her son to stay. Embracing her, I, too, allowed the tears to escape my eyes. She buried her face in my chest and I squeezed her reassuringly. Even though our son had gone, we would have one another, until the earth ceased to turn and the world came to an end.

**A/N: I could not get a decent ending to save my life. So, I just went with the usual, sudden ending. This turned out…decent. Please review. **

**~Sheba~**


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